


Stay with Me Forever

by writerlester



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Doubt about the Future, Lowkey egobang, M/M, arin is a lovely friend, danny's worried about the future, i just adore these two men okay, kinda sad but ends up happy i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 00:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9853058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerlester/pseuds/writerlester
Summary: Danny hadn't meant to blurt it out during an episode. But now all of his previous doubts return and he just wants this happy time to last forever. Arin notices. He always does.





	

_ Stay with me forever, Arin. _

It had been such an innocent request in Danny’s mind, but when he’d let his tongue get the better of him, he found that it sounded more like a desperate plea. Arin, bless his soul, had more or less laughed it off with a carefree promise, which Danny appreciated.

Ever since that episode, Danny had never forgotten it. Arin acted like it had been a small moment and forgot, but Danny couldn’t, mainly because it  _ was _ a plea. His worried thoughts had been dredged up from the back of his head, and then his sleep-deprived and sugar-hyped mind had allowed his mouth to blurt out phrases best left unspoken.

He remembered how panicked he’d been the moment the words had left his lips, eyes darting over to the other man, concentrated on his game. If Arin had been surprised, he didn’t show it, just a quirked eyebrow and a “whoa, okay man” and a short discussion on how long Game Grumps would last. Then it was over.

But that fear had been present in Danny’s mind since the beginning, and it would stick with him from now on. 

It had started as a single, wiggling thought:  _ When will Game Grumps end? What will happen when it does? _

Then things had started to change. Danny thought he was used to change; he practically encouraged it, after all. Arin and Suzy had gotten married, which he’d been happy about, but then...the honeymoon.

Arin and Suzy had left for a while, and at first, Danny had been very busy with NSP and other activities to keep him occupied. However, after the first initial days, he’d found himself fiddling with his phone, wanting to text Arin and ask when the next Grump session was.

His life was vastly different without Arin in it, he realized.

So when Arin had returned, Danny had stuck around him like glue the entire day they’d recorded. It was only after spending a lot of time with him and eating three bags of Skittles that Danny relaxed, realizing things were still the same and Arin was  _ back. _ Game Grumps wasn’t going anywhere.

But that thought persisted, and Danny started to fear change, because he honestly didn’t know what he would do if Game Grumps ended.

That was bullshit. He knew exactly what he’d do. He’d work more on NSP and perhaps find other jobs within the music industry. He’d continue his presence on YouTube and the only difference would be that he wouldn’t go to the Grump Space anymore.

The thought of what he’d do wasn’t really what terrified him; it was what would happen with his friends. Namely, a funny animator with a blonde streak in his hair and a laugh that could make anyone smile.

Arin had given him so much. He still remembered the day when Arin had offered the job with astounding clarity. At the time, he’d been so excited to be a part of something so cool and big on YouTube that he hadn’t fully realized how it would change his life.

Game Grumps was just the beginning. It grew larger than anyone had hoped for. NSP took off, too. He made music videos. He traveled. He did live shows. He started another band--Starbomb. So many blessings had been dumped into his lap that it was honestly dizzying.

And he had Arin to thank for it all.

He knew he’d thanked Arin before, countless times, but Arin always shrugged it off. He wasn’t a boastful guy and would remind Danny that he’d worked hard, too; it wasn’t just Arin’s influence. 

Danny now came to the stark worry:  _ What about when it ended? _

All good things must come to an end, as they say. Danny didn’t want it to ever end. He wanted to sit on that gross couch and make silly jokes and play stupid games with Arin his whole life. He wanted to be a senile old man in his eighties screeching at newfangled technology with Arin wheezing beside him. He wanted the Grump Space to never be torn down. He cherished those days in the office, laughing along with Arin, Suzy, Ross, Barry...just,  _ everyone. _

These were the thoughts swirling through his mind when he blurted out that wish. He knew Arin hadn’t thought much of it, but it really was something he longed for. He wondered about Arin’s plans for Grumps and what it would mean for him. 

Okay, he’ll be honest with himself: he doesn’t want to lose the bond he’s formed with Arin.

His other friends, too, of course, but there was something special about Grumps. It was the titular show on the channel. It was a time when he and Arin could just sit and laugh and be dumb and happy.

He should’ve known Arin would notice his preoccupation. Arin always noticed when he wasn’t his usual self, and he’d been preoccupied for the last few days. It was only a matter of time.

“Dan.”

He looked up meekly at the younger man, who had his hands on his hips and a determined gaze. Danny cracked a small smile; it was so rare to see Arin look so serious. “Yeah?”

Arin sat beside him, sighing, running his fingers through his hair. “Look, dude, you don’t have to tell me, I’m not forcing you to...but if something’s bothering you, man, I’d do anything to help.”

Danny’s heart melted, and he moved his foot forward to bump Arin’s leg slightly. Arin looked up at him, and Danny thought he might just die from the troubled, sad look in his best friend’s eyes.

He scooted forward, biting his lip. “It’s...um, hard to explain.”

Arin blinked, as if he hadn’t expected Danny to actually tell him, but then knit his brows together and shifted slightly to face him. “Yeah?”

It was a soft reply, a patient one, and Danny could already feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He’d always been sensitive, and seeing Arin care so much made his chest fell fuzzy and his face glow and his eyes wet.

“Um…” he struggled, but Arin’s face was patient, giving him all the time he needed. He took a deep breath and tried again. “It’s the future.”

Arin nodded.

“Like...I’m scared of the future,” Danny mumbled, twiddling his thumbs. “I...don’t want Game Grumps to go away, I...I don’t want  _ you _ to go away…”

Arin placed a hand on Danny’s knee. “Dan.” 

One gentle, lovingly spoken word from Arin was all it took for the dam behind Danny’s eyes to break, and dammit, he could  _ feel _ the tears leaking and running down his face. His face stung and he furiously wiped at the traitorous tears with his sleeve. “Sorry, sorry, I don’t…”

Arin wrapped him into a big hug, not even saying anything, and Danny finally let himself cry. It was easier since Arin couldn’t see his face. He clutched his best friend’s shirt in his fists and buried his face into Arin’s shoulder. He could see stains already forming on the pink shirt, but neither him nor Arin gave a damn.

The younger man patted his back gently, soothing his shaking frame and whispering nonsensical phrases of comfort. Danny thanked the good Lord above that the room was soundproof. He really didn’t want anyone else to see him like this.

After feeling drained of tears, Danny kept his face hidden in Arin’s side, not wanting to let go. Eventually, though, Arin tugged him up so he was facing the other man.

Arin’s eyes were softer than Danny had ever seen them, warm and full of affection. “Danny,” he said gently, “Game Grumps isn’t stopping anytime soon. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. Even if I were, d’you really think you’d get away from me that easy?”

Danny let out a half-laugh, half-sob as he tried to clean himself up. “I-I know, it’s stupid, I just--”

“It’s  _ not _ stupid,” Arin said so vehemently that Danny paused. “It’s not stupid, because it just means you cherish your friends.” Arin’s form relaxed a bit as he continued. “But you don’t need to worry, Dan. We’ll all be friends for the rest of our lives. And hey, even if Grumps ends, like, thirty years from now, we’ll still be best buds, won’t we? We’ll take long road trips wherever the hell we feel like it, we’ll go to Wendy’s and complain about everything, we’ll even sit on the couch at one of our homes and you can watch me lose my shit to a video game.”

Danny laughed, finally, mostly because of Arin’s goofy grin. 

“We’ll be as close as we are now. Right?” Arin peered at him, smiling.

“Yeah,” the word got caught in Danny’s throat. He felt so lucky, so happy, to have this man be his friend and assuage his fears more quickly than he thought possible. Arin somehow always knew what to say.

“So...cheer up, man. Let’s enjoy the time we have with Game Grumps, because it ain’t stopping anytime soon. I promise.”

Arin handed Danny a box of tissues and he started mopping up his face. He felt at peace now, serene, as though his worries had never existed.

“Thank you,” Danny said softly as he wiped his eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you, Arin.”

Arin laughed and bumped Danny’s shoulder playfully. “Hey man, I’ve got a request for you, since I’m such a good friend and all.”

Danny peeked at him from behind his tissue, curious. “What’s that?”

“Will you stay with me forever?”

He knew Arin was just being sappy for his benefit, but his smile was more genuine than ever when he answered immediately. “Even longer, Big Cat.”

**Author's Note:**

> Eh. I don't know. This didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to. I still like it, but I just feel like something is missing. Anyways! I hope you liked it. I couldn't get that moment out of my mind when Danny just blurted "Stay with me forever, Arin!" It was so cute. This is based on that. (Obviously.)
> 
> Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!


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